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On the topic of Addiction

"General population surveys have documented that approximately 75% of individuals with a substance use disorder have experienced trauma at some point in their lives."
-- PubMed Central, National Library of Medicine.

Time and time again, I see comments from people online saying things like:

* People with addictions have no-one to blame but themselves.
* Addiction is a lifestyle choice.
* Addiction only happens to certain kinds of people.
* People with addiction are all criminals.
* People with addiction need tough love. Helping them just enables drug use.
* Addiction medications are just replacing one addiction with another.
* People with addiction are hopeless.
... and on and on it goes.

Statistics show that the vast majority of people with addictions are doing it to self-medicate. Some things, such as some types of illicit drugs, have the additional side effect of feeling good while they're being taken, but my argument is that people don't take them primarily for that reason.

They take them to dull/block out emotional and/or physical pain.

[Aside: I, until 2.5 months ago, used to do the same thing with nicotine, be it smoking and/or vaping. Every time I felt stressed or anxious, I craved nicotine. My body screamed for it. And I would find myself huddled somewhere away from everyone else, puffing away, because smokers are considered pariahs these days.]

Not every form of emotional pain is linked to trauma, but every traumatic backstory leads to emotional pain. It's perfectly understandable to want to kill that pain with whatever you can get your hands on, whatever works. Let's face it; Mindfulness really doesn't help with genuine distress, it helps with mild symptoms.

Tearing into people with addictions helps no-one - *especially* not the person with the addiction. It makes them feel worse than they already do. Don't people realise that the person with the addiction already *knows* they're addicted, and likely wish they weren't?

With seeking help for addictions comes the realisation and reality that once you kick the habit, the feelings you were trying to kill will come flooding back. Often it feels like they come back with a vengeance, to make up lost time, as it were. Quitting an addiction is downright heroic, because you have to face all your inner demons.

That's why addiction centres usually have 28-day programs, full of group and 1:1 therapy sessions. It takes approximately a week for the drugs to leave a person's system (the detox process is usually brutal in and of itself), then they need time and help afterwards. They also need to be among people going through a similar process, for inspiration and support.

[Aside: For anyone interested in the topic of addiction centres, I recommend the movie '28 Days' (not to be mistaken for '28 Days Later', a *very* different genre of movie.) It's a comedy, but does go quite deep into the more serious aspects of addiction. You can rent it through the Google TV or YouTube apps; it used to be available upon Netflix, but they've since removed it.]

Have you noticed the language I have been very careful in using for identification, yet? At no point have I used the word 'addicts'; I have always used the term 'people with addictions'. That is deliberate, as people are not natural addicts. They have addictions. I'm not sure if I believe in the so-called 'addictive gene' theory. I suspect I lean more into the no camp, as I believe the main cause of addiction is trauma, not genetics. That doesn't mean, however, that the two can't be at play, simultaneously. I am open to being wrong.

So the next time you see a person with an addiction, be it out on the street, in a psych ward, or even just looking into your bathroom mirror, think about what might have brought them to that point in their lives, and seek for some compassion and sympathy within yourself. If you're walking, or have walked the addiction path before, you can also try some empathy. It costs nothing, but means everything.

No-one chooses for their life to feel out of their control. They don't choose the tragedies in their past. They don't choose addiction.

#MentalHealth #Addiction #SubstanceRelatedDisorders #SubstanceUseDisorders #PTSD #Trauma #compassion #Sympathy #Empathy #AddictionRecovery #Recovery

(edited)
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EMOTIONAL FOOD POISONING

And not being appreciated, one of my sauces for noodles was tampered with, I ate it multiple times this week, and cried almost non stop for 6 to 12 hours, its always when I ate this, plus yelled at for my caregiving and smoking, mega yelled at, then family who are Slavic Irish had a two hour heated 100 decible debate about the Slave trade, I have a mtg for another issue but its support, also yelled at when tried to observe sbout linguistics before a lesson I cancelled, incredibly hard week, lots of SI, and on a bus full of Indians, which I take every day, almost trampled trying to give the right of way to a disabled person, however someone got me better food, and I'm grateful, and 3 take out orders in 2 days which we hardly ever eat take out, suspicious, and made ethnic dinner n sandwiches which no one would eat with me, please go easy on my soul, she wants to end it

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It's the last night

Right now I'm outside smoking with some of my friends. It's the last night. Most of us are leaving tomorrow morning. I'm driving with my girlfriend and my friend is driving with my girlfriends husband. I'm hoping to get some more pictures with my friends. It's so humid out. I'm soaked in sweat. I am gonna pack my suitcase tonight. I'm hoping to get Starbarks in the morning. It's bittersweet right now. I'm gonna miss my friends. Luckily I can still talk to them on telegram.

I'm gonna spend the next year working on my partial fursuit. It's a squid symbiote. It's gonna have steampunk goggles. The theme for next year is Renaissance faire. I'm so excited.

#lastnightofcon

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Sigh

My neighbor just asked me to help put 2 bracelets on her so I went over and she invited me in. She asked why I quit smoking and asked if it was for my ex girlfriend. I explained that I get to see my girlfriend soon and I wanted to be able to kiss her. She asked about the con I'm going to and I told her my girlfriend is gonna be there with her husband. Then she called me a slut to which I replied I'm asexual. She said "you go both ways?" I said no it means no sex. She responded saying I'm boring. Fun times.

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I'm new here!

Hi, my name is Mitch321. I'm here because

Tired old and feel irrelevant.

Trying to find a purpose in my life after great loss.
Lost my Fiancee in April.
My Parent's during Covid.
Currently in an Estate battle with my greedy older Sisters.

Not Suicidal.

I guess i'm just giving up.
Maybe I just let everything go.

Drinking too much.
Started Smoking after quitting for 27 years.

I just feel defeated

#MightyTogether

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Today

As of today I have been cigarette free for 3 weeks. I hardly ever cough with my vape now.

#Smoking

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Insomnia

Really struggling again. Ruminating AGAIN on hurt, anger, and abandonment by close friend a couple years ago. I still have to see her due to mutual friends and it's very hard. I was just shut out due to a minor disagreement. I've mostly given her space, but in the last year have reached out a few times, have been civil/friendly. I think she has some BPD traits too and shutting down/out is kind of her MO. But her face and demeanor just look so much like she doesn't care, and MY BPD just can't let it go. Paranoia moves in, and I start thinking I will lose another close friend whom she is close with as well. It starts a downward spiral of self hatred, and I just don't know how to make it stop. I don't self harm and I quit drinking and smoking the last couple years. My coping skills have/are improving but the suffering is not. Sorry ...AND the suffering is not. 🙄 Very frustrated and demoralized.

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The worst part of being broke and going through all of this

The worst part is not being able to afford to hunt around for a decent doctor, especially one willing to do the necessary research to understand just how those NSAID's effected me to ensure this never happens to another person again.

The dizziness, the stomach pain, the difficulty breathing, thank the ancient forgotten gods the chest pains haven't been that bad, but still, damn this sucks. It's so much worse than my chronic pains.

And I am very positive this has exacerbated the damage smoking has done to my lungs by a hell of a lot. And gods knows groups would use this distress to further ostracize tobacco "addicts" than reduce possible physically damaging medicines.

I hate this dizziness/breathlessness. I am so god damn sorry I trusted that doctor.

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Yay

My new vape tank arrived today. I hooked it up and primed the coil and let it sit for a few minutes so it could soak up the juice. I filled it with some banana juice, canoli juice, and dunkaroos flavored juice. It's really yummy. I ran out of cigarettes this morning so I was trying to be patient for the mail. But yeah this tank setup is really nice. It's got bigger capacity, gentler firing, big cloud production, and really good flavors. Yay!

#Smoking

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Went on an adventure

After an hour of talking about vape tanks and her wanting me to quit smoking, she finally relented and we ordered an Uber to the tobacco shop. I got my cigarettes. And I'm supposed to order a vape tank online. I don't know much about vaping. I guess I gotta learn.